Eaton Reunion, 1926
Toronto Daily Star
July 19, 1926
Real Mayflower Furniture
During the afternoon Mr. A. J. Vanduzen-Stewart exhibited and told the
story of a little cabinet of drawers that had been brought from Holland
on the second voyage of the Mayflower by the original settler of the Vanduzen
family in America. This much worn little treasure has been in the possession
of some member of the d family for 300 years. It was carried on horseback
from New York state 180 years ago by Rev. Jacob Vanduzen when he moved
to carry on religious work among the early settlers around Mount Albion.
J. A. Vanduzen- Stewart is a son of Elizabeth Vanduzen, who was a niece
of the original Mrs. Catharine Eaton.
William H. Vanduzen, of Grimsby, brought for the interest of the family
a number of ancient volumes in which the name of John Vanduzen, a U. E.
Loyalist, clergyman member of the family was inscribed, and a little trunk
of enamel cloth and leather. This relic bore in its lid an inscription
which read: "I do not know my full age, but I came to Canada as a. U.
E. Loyalist in 1800 with Rev. John Vanduzen and have been in the family
ever since. I am now stopping with Mrs. Mary Vanduzen Hawkey at Grimsby,
Ontario."
Evening brought sports and games, races and light and music for the
entertainment of the crowd. The grounds glowed with the colors of the
lanterns and on a big stand specially erected for the purpose was lighted
a bonfire of pine roots from great giants of the original forest which
fell before the axe of John Eaton, the pioneer.
A sheet placed in the hands of the family by Mr. Virgil Gunby, though
showing the yellowing of time, disclosed the itineraries of the preachers
who held services in that district in the year 1832. This sheet showed
"Eaton's" as one of the meeting places and brought forth the story of
how John Eaton had built a house of one room first and how this grew as
his family increased until it contained thirteen rooms. Despite superstition
the thirteenth room was set apart for religious services, and it was there
until the year 1852 that the whole community gathered for the simple worship
of those pioneer days. Mr. Eaton was himself a lay preacher, so that when
winter blocked the trails and roads the services were continued without
interruption.
This sturdy and God-fearing old pioneer became the progenitor of a
family group that now numbers over 6,000 people, and all day on Saturday
his descendants crowded around the big boards that contained the family
tree to identify their own places upon it, and get corrections made where
errors were found. The officers of the family organization expect to publish
a book of the family history before the next annual gathering of the clan.
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